NYSAFLT Annual Conference 2024

Incorporating crafts can be a great introduction or can be used as a summative activity to highlight aspects of different cultures. In this workshop, teachers will learn how they can turn the instructions for most crafts into highly comprehensible material (with scaffolding). In addition, attendees will see how videos allow a person of limited language ability to follow along and complete the tasks. In this workshop, attendees will learn about several projects, suggestions for how to incorporate other disciplines and all the resources necessary! All crafts can be modified in order to reduce the costs. Most crafts presented will be from Mexico, along with how to videos in Spanish.

Whether you are a brand new teacher or a veteran teacher, we all could use "Back to the Basics" ideas for our World Language classroom to reignite the connection with learners! The presenter will share ideas that will help you build relationships with your students, use more of the Target Language each day, and have fun while doing it! You can learn about strategies today, and easily implement them on Monday (with little to no prep). Let's work smarter, not harder!

This proposal promotes the integration of community-engaged learning (CEL) methodologies into the French language classroom curriculum. By blending theory with practical experience, students not only enhance their linguistic skills but also develop cultural understanding and empathy. We will delve into the theoretical framework supporting CEL and showcase its application through a case study of collaboration between the French language program at Nazareth University and Rochester Refugee Resettlement Services in Rochester. Through this partnership, students engage in meaningful interactions with refugee communities from French-speaking Africa, enhancing their language skills while fostering social justice and intercultural competence.

Join NYSAFLT president Swaz and her great friend Joy for a fun organic immersion session: we will walk across the bridge to Canada while talking in a variety of languages about what we see and feel, about the conference that unfolded and about education and life. Make sure to bring your passport, warm clothes for November weather and some energy to make the short trek across the international bridge! (A creative plan B indoor trek will be devised in case of inclement weather.)

There is no typical learner; every learner is unique and brings a distinct set of academic needs into the educational system. Meeting the needs of learners with visible and invisible disabilities begins with digital formatting. This session focuses on the accessibility features and considerations for common learning tools in the field of education (such as MSWord, Google docs, PowerPoint, Slides). The goal is to raise awareness of the tools’ features, and the hope is that accessibility practices will become second nature at the onset of content creation. The session will be interactive so please bring a sample that you can examine for accessibility.

As language educators, our goal is to help students achieve fluency and proficiency. However, upper-level Italian courses often emphasize grammar drills and memorization, impeding communicative competence. Comprehensible input strategies provide a practical solution by offering engaging and meaningful language input that enhances language acquisition and fluency. Storytelling uses narratives to make new vocabulary and grammar memorable. Participants will receive adaptable templates to implement these strategies in various contexts, themes, and grammatical structures, creating a more communicative and engaging learning environment.

This session will address issues relevant to teacher preparation programs such as the culminating performance assessments, NYSED updates, recruitment and retention of new teachers, curriculum, assessment, standards, K-16 articulation, world language methodology and more. Open to all who are interested, especially full-time and adjunct faculty in higher education, this roundtable provides an opportunity to brainstorm ideas, share solutions and to continue important dialogue in the profession.

Looking to improve your own Spanish skills, immerse yourself in Costa Rican culture, or explore a language school you could recommend to your high school or college students?

Presenter Ann Elyse Foltz received the 2023 NYSAFLT Academia Tica Cultural Scholarship to Costa Rica. She spent two weeks at this beautiful and culturally enriching school, located an hour away from San José, the capital of Costa Rica. Come see her photos of rainforests, animals, and waterfalls, and learn about this internationally known Spanish language school.

Unlock the potential of your language learners with the "Think, Talk, Learn" workshop, specifically designed for world language and ENL classrooms. This session offers innovative thinking routines that make thinking visible in the classroom, enhancing language development and understanding. Discover practical strategies like See-Think-Wonder, Sentence-Phrase-Word, and Chalk Talk, all tailored to support language learners of all levels. Engage in interactive activities and collaborative discussions to equip yourself with tools for creating a vibrant, thinking-centered classroom that fosters both language skills and cognitive growth. Join us and transform your teaching to inspire students to think, talk, and learn with confidence!